"If ye are prepared, ye shall not fear"

Finding Strength in the Words of the Prophets

“Perhaps you already know (but if you don’t you should) that with rare exception, no man or woman who speaks here is assigned a topic. Each is to fast and pray, study and seek, start and stop and start again until he or she is confident that for this conference, at this time, his or hers is the topic the Lord wishes that speaker to present regardless of personal wishes or private preferences. Every man and woman you have heard during the past 10 hours of general conference has tried to be true to that prompting. Each has wept, worried, and earnestly sought the Lord’s direction to guide his or her thoughts and expression. … If we teach by the Spirit and you listen by the Spirit, some one of us will touch on your circumstance, sending a personal prophetic epistle just to you.” –Jeffrey R Holland

“As you prepare for general conference, I invite you to ponder questions you need to have answered. For example, you might yearn for direction and guidance by the Lord regarding challenges you are facing.

Answers to your specific prayers may come directly from a particular talk or from a specific phrase. At other times answers may come in a seemingly unrelated word, phrase, or song. A heart filled with gratitude for the blessings of life and an earnest desire to hear and follow the words of counsel will prepare the way for personal revelation.” –Dieter F Uchtdorf

Focus on the Savior

In the 14th chapter of Matthew we read the story of Peter walking on the water. The Lord had sent his disciples on ahead by boat, while he took some time apart to pray. In the middle of the night and in the middle of a storm, the men saw a figure walking toward them on the water. After their initial alarm, they recognized the Lord. Peter said, “Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water”, and the Lord replied simply, “Come.” Peter stepped out in faith and began, successfully, miraculously, to walk on the water. But as he started to take notice of his surroundings, and as his focus changed, his faith wavered and he began to sink.

We too walk a perilous pathway. As those who follow Satan work to undermine, destabilize and destroy the peace and security of mankind, the ground beneath our feet may begin to seem unreliable and fraught with danger. When the darkness and winds of the latter-days claim our attention we might first find ourselves distracted, then sinking, and finally near-drowning in fear or despair. As in all things, the answer is the Savior. When we call out to Him, He hears, and assures us that we need not fear, that He has overcome this much-troubled world and bids us “Come.” As our focus becomes increasingly fixed on Him and on His work we grow to be sure and steadfast, “more than conquerors” and find that we can walk confidently over or through whatever may lie in our way. Truly, we will find that it matters very little the conditions of the world or the challenges of our particular pathway through it as long as it leads to Him.

Traditional Fermented Pickles

Salt has been used as a food preservative for thousands of years. In the absence of refrigeration, it is a low-cost and quite reliable method of preventing the growth of fungus and unfriendly bacteria while cultivating the same gut-friendly lactobacilli present in live-culture yogurt. Although this recipe is for cucumbers, you may substitute other fresh, unwaxed vegetables such as zucchini, peppers, green beans or baby eggplants.

Wash and trim cucumber ends. Cut into slices or chunks if they are a larger, non-pickling variety. Place herbs, spices and leaves in the bottom of a very clean ½ gallon jar and then add cucumbers. Thoroughly dissolve salt in 1 quart of water and pour into jar, covering cucumbers by at least 2”. Keep cucumbers under the brine by filling a smaller jar or partly filling a clean Ziploc bag with brine and putting it inside the larger jar directly atop the cucumbers. Cap the jar and let it sit between 65F-85F for about ten days. Remove any scum or mold that form on the surface—as long as the cucumbers have remained submerged, it will not affect them. As you approach the seven-day mark, watch for a decrease in the bubbling or for the pickles to seem to “fall” lower in the jar as these may be signs that the fermentation is complete. The jar should smell pleasantly sour when opened. If it smells rotten or appears slimy or spoiled, throw it out and clean the jar thoroughly before trying again. If all is well, remove your submerging device, refrigerate (or store under 65F) and enjoy!

Dry Shampoo

A dry shampoo is an excellent item to keep in one’s emergency supplies. Their use requires no water (which may be in short supply after a disaster), they will reduce the risk of getting chilled from wet hair, and cleanliness is a great morale booster! They may also come in handy in the sickroom where, again, chill is of concern and a patient may have difficulty standing or bending over a sink.

Prices are generally within the 5$-15$ range for 4-7 ounces of product. Most are in a can with some type of propellant (though there are a few exceptions) so you will want to store them away from heat sources. There is a huge range of products and you will probably want to try out a few before stocking up. Reviews on amazon, Walmart and other online retailers may help you find the one that best suits your needs.

One can also go the DIY route with one of the recipes below. Apply with a large soft makeup brush. Allow to sit for at least two minutes, then brush out thoroughly with a natural-bristle hairbrush.

Shopping

President Gordon B Hinckley got a laugh in 2003 when he was listing womens’ roles and included “shoppers,” in his list. I appreciated that he followed with, “Until I got older I never dreamed of what a demanding responsibility it is to keep food in the pantry, to keep clothing neat and presentable, to buy all that is needed to keep a home running.” Shopping wisely and well can be very difficult! Here are some techniques that may be helpful in learning to do it better.

Groceries

Plan menus. This might seem like a funny place to start, but this makes a huge difference in grocery shopping. If your menu for the week/month/quarter is planned, your grocery list is made! It’s much more fun to plan meals on your living room floor surrounded by cookbooks than in Safeway surrounded by your tired kids.

Make lists. If you shop with a list you will be more likely get what you need and avoid what you don’t. You will end up with less food wasted and will cut down the amount of time you spend in the store. Once you know your store layout, you can even make your list in the order you will find the items.

Estimate your costs. I faithfully estimated every shopping trip back when I was a student and living on air. You wouldn’t believe the number of times I caught mistakes, both mine and theirs, this way!

Shop with cash. My mom’s first stop every shopping day was at the bank for cash. Without plastic, the only way she could go over budget was to make a second trip to the bank.

Plan when to shop. Limit your shopping as much as possible. Typically, the more often you shop, the more you will spend. Frequency will depend on family size, mobility issues and your family’s home food production abilities, but once a week is generally sufficient. I like to go on Wednesday morning to avoid crowds and to get the best shot at the “while supplies last” sales.

Other items

Don’t rush. Unless it’s an urgent need, take your time. This is the shopping version of “measure twice, cut once.”

Distinguish between wants and needs. “There, there little luxury, don’t you cry, you’ll be a necessity by and by.” It’s a good idea to do regular evaluations to prevent this slippage. Make a list of your family’s gray area items and ask yourself, “what if we couldn’t buy this?” There will be some items you really do need (serious impacts on productivity, health and comfort) and many others that you don’t. Eliminate them or confine their purchase to birthdays or Christmas. Luxuries are more luxurious when they are rare!

Do your research. With smaller purchases, you can rely on trial and error, but for big ticket items check out reviews at Consumer Reports, amazon.com, epinions.com, etc. Often you can search your item name plus “reviews” or “best” and end up with more info than you could imagine.

Compare prices. Once you have determined what product you want to buy, start checking out prices. You can call around, get online or pay attention when you are out making other purchases. Record your findings.

Buy used. Check Craigslist or other classified ads, garage sales, thrift stores or ask around. You can save a lot this way.

Buy online. Online stores typically have less overhead than brick-and-mortar shops and oftentimes have lower prices and a better selection. Shipping costs will make or break the deal, so look for vendors that offer shipping discounts. Also, do your research! Search the store name plus “problems”, “complaints” or “reviews” and see what comes up.

Plan when to shop. Summer clothes go on clearance after July 4th and Winter clothes after Christmas. Back-to-School sales are the time to purchase office and some craft supplies. Appliances, computers and cars go on sale just before the new models come out. Determine when you are likely to find the best sales on items you need and plan annual or semi-annual shopping trips.

“Wherefore, be not weary in well-doing, for ye are laying the foundation of a great work. And out of small things proceedeth that which is great.” D&C 64:33